1. Field
Embodiments relate to a washing machine and a control method thereof to achieve washing performance using bubbles without damage to fiber structures of functional clothes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a washing machine (normally, a drum washing machine) includes a water tub in which water (wash water or rinse water) is received, a drum rotatably mounted in the water tub, in which laundry fabric (hereinafter, referred to as fabric) is received, and a motor to generate drive force required to rotate the drum. The washing machine washes the fabric received in the drum via an action by which the fabric repeatedly rises along an inner wall of the drum and falls during rotation of the cylindrical drum.
The washing machine performs a series of operations, such as, e.g., a washing operation, a rinsing operation, and a dehydrating operation. The washing operation serves to separate contaminants from the fabric using detergent dissolved water (i.e. wash water). The rinsing operation serves to rinse bubbles or residual detergent out of the fabric using water containing no detergent (i.e. rinse water). The dehydrating operation serves to dehydrate the fabric via high speed rotation. Of these operations, more particularly, the washing operation is carried out in such a manner that water and detergent are input into the water tub when a user selects a washing course and thereafter, the detergent dissolved water is directed to the fabric via rotation of the drum, causing the fabric to be washed using falling force.
However, in the case of functional clothes, more particularly, sports clothes, such as, e.g., hiking clothes, ski wear, and golf wear, clothing surface or fiber structures may be substantially influenced by mechanical force. Therefore, to wash functional clothes with high performance, it may be necessary to effectively remove sweat, contaminants, etc. while maintaining the surface or fiber structures of the functional clothes, i.e. maintaining the functionality of the functional clothes.
Hiking clothes or ski wear have a special function of rapidly discharging sweat generated by the body while preventing invasion of snow, rainwater, etc. To realize this function, materials having coating, adhesion, and other special fiber structures are used. Functions of these materials may easily be destroyed due to surface damage under general washing conditions and alternatively, may exhibit malfunction as pores thereof are blocked by sweat, contaminants (dirt), etc. when repeatedly worn without washing.
Accordingly, without proper care functional clothes gradually become unsuitable for their intended purpose. Therefore, there is a need for a washing course suitable for functional clothes.
Recently developed washing machines have a washing course to wash functional clothes, such as sports clothes, outdoor clothes, etc. However, most of the recent washing machines only wash functional clothes by using mechanical force that is approximately half of a standard course and a delicate course to attempt to minimize damage to clothes. This has substantial drawbacks since maintaining the washing performance may cause deterioration in the functionality of the functional clothes, whereas maintaining the functionality of the functional clothes may result in deterioration of washing performance. Accordingly, there is a need for a control method to satisfy both the washing performance while maintaining functionality of the functional clothes.